ABSTRACT
The policy logic was compelling: Clean up the old dump sites and close the old commercial landfills, while simultaneously introducing source reduction throughout industry and a move to waste treatment. But in practice, only closing out the old landfills has been realized to any degree of satisfaction. The battles over siting played out across the nation’s landscape eventually brought together thousands of local citizens, loosely organized initially through existing environmental and health groups, into an active national movement. The Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes and the National Toxics Campaign have grown to include thousands of members who share information and tactics on how to defeat new hazardous waste treatment facility proposals. Opposition to facilities may seem selfish and irrational to outsiders and policy experts, but from the perspective of the communities directly affected—and the principle is a basic tenet of the democratic process—just saying “no” is quite the opposite.
